Posted by SueTLC

Uncategorized

Today, the Telegraph has a preview piece featuring an excerpt from the foreword that J.K. Rowling wrote for the upcoming book, Harry, A History by TLC’s own Melissa Anelli. The piece focuses on how J.K. Rowling “finally cracked,” she said, in 2002, and “Googled Harry Potter.”

“I had already heard of ‘The Leaky Cauldron’; it was one of the biggest and most popular Harry Potter sites on the net, and I had been told about a couple of great things they had done….But I had never seen it for myself, never realised exactly what went on there. I sat and read editorials, predictions, theories that ranged from strange to wild to perfectly accurate. I was, frankly, stunned – and I remain stunned.”

The article also points out how J.K. Rowling says in the foreword that the book has filled in “an enormous number of blanks,” and that:

“At long last I understand what was going on while I was holed up writing, trying to filter my exposure to Potter-hysteria…a great chunk of my own life has been explained to me. Melissa has filled in an enormous number of blanks. Reading the book you now have in your hands has been an astonishing experience for me. It is as though I have, at last, achieved the ambition I held for years: To go along to a bookshop at midnight on Harry Potter publication night, in disguise, and simply watch and listen.”

Harry, A History, due out November 4, 2008, also features an extensive interview with J.K. Rowling and her editors, publishers, agents and more, as well as interviews with fans, booksellers and a lot more. The official Web site for the book is here; extra bits of canon from the extensive Jo interview are being posted on it intermittently (read about Hedwig’s potential other fate), along with pictures of and thoughts about the Harry Potter phenomenon, and an entry with more information about the foreword, and how it came about may be found here. Amazon.com also features a download of an excerpt of the foreword on the page listing. If you would like, you can also become a fan of the book on Facebook, here.

89 Responses to Excerpt from New J.K. Rowling Foreword to “Harry, A History” Now Online

says:

yes! at last someyhing to look forward to! good going. FIRST COMMENT

says:

COOL!!! First to comment! Sorry, I’ll post again in a moment. Hehe!

says:

SORRY MISPELLED”SOMETHING”

says:

Dangit! How did you beat me?

says:

wow! i cant wait for the book!
congrats again melissa!

says:

Cool! I’ll look forward to that.

says:

I AM A BIT TOO QUICK

says:

Wow! I can not imagine how Melissa feels about all that! It must be beyond words to explain! Congratulations Melissa, once again!

I can’t wait to get my hands on this book! :P

says:

LET’S HOPE THIS DATE DOES’NT CHANGE AS IT HAPPENED WITH HBP

says:

I can only speak for myself but as each day goes by, I get more and more excited for “Harry, A History”. It really brings this whole fandom experience full circle for me.

It started with a book by an author we fans have come to love and now we have a book by a fan that our author has come to love.

Congrats, Melissa!

says:

Congrats to Melissa, I can’t imagine how you feel to have a forward by miss JKR herself. That is just so awesome!

says:

Congratulations Melissa on the great Press exposure, you must be so pleased!

says:

Melissa Anelli. Did I ever tell you you’re my hero?

I’m so excited for this book. This is what I love about HP. While the movie got pushed (which okay yeah was a bummer I’m over it, because they’ll go back to work on it and make it even better and fine tune it even more) we still have novels to look forward to. Beetle the Bard, the Scottish book and of course, Harry A History.

I love that.

says:

Melissa,

I’m really looking forward to your book! I’m very excited to read your thoughts, and I’ve always been fascinated to learn more about the Harry Potter fan phenomenon.

says:

Wow, Melissa! That’s so fantastic! I can’t imagine a better person to tell the fans’ story than you.

says:

lol i love how on amazon.com they bundled your book with the tales of beedle the bard.

says:

Congratulations, Melissa! :D I really want to read the book!

says:

I am starting to look forward to Melissa’s book with as much excitement as Book 7. Awesome.

says:

I look forward to reading it.

says:

This is perfect! I didn’t even know!!!!

Who cares about HBP anymore!!!

we have new book from our Jo!!!! haha…I already hear Hermione: I’ve read about it,in “Harry,a history”!

I love the title! and this is soooo awesome! more Harry!!
thats great Mel!!!
3 times hooray for our dear Leaky!!!! and members and fans:D

I’m sooo happy!!!!

says:

Squee!!! I can’t wait to get it! I pre-ordered it a couple of months ago!

At least I’ll have ONE HP thing to look forward to in November! :)

I hope I’ll learn some stuff about the early years of the fandom I didn’t know.

says:

Melissa, I am really looking forward to your book. After the test reading you did for the Group that Shall Not Be Named, I really was intrigued. Good luck on the book and if anyone is interested in both her Q&A and the reading she gave, check out http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=71FB30819C2451BB minus the spaces or check out the user name narcissaablack it should be listed under the playlist.

See this is a perfectly respectible book and one I definately want to add to my library…. THANK YOU Miss Melissa for all the hard work over the years.

says:

Wow Melissa!! I can’t even imagine how you felt when you first read what Jo had written in the forward! You must have been thrilled!

I’m really looking forward to reading your book!

says:

Yay!! I can’t wait to buy this book. I didn’t know it was coming out so soon and I also didn’t know JKR was involved.

says:

Aaah Melissa I am so happy for you!!

says:

Jo!! It’s lovely that she’s always wanted to view the Harry Potter phenomenon from the eyes of the fans.
Awesome.

says:

yay! way to go melissa :)

says:

Congrats Melissa! Thank god your book is coming out, without it November would be a complete bummer-fest. I can’t wait for November 4th. I’m just as excited for your book as I am for Beedle the Bard and that’s saying something! Its also great that there will finally be an accurate account of our fandom.

says:

A new harry potter book with actual story info (even if it’s a small amount)

I’ll buy it, just not this year as I’m dead broke and have other obligations… (I DO have a free movie ticket I would have used on HBP, though… Not anymore)

says:

I don’t buy many books unlessI really like them and intend on reading them over and over. But I’m getting really tempted to buy this book! I think I may give in. It sounds wonderful.

says:

Congratulations. :D

WHOAA, a foreword by JKR. O.O
That’s amazing.

says:

Congratulations on the book Melissa! Is there any chance there will be an audio version?

says:

It’s funny how your eyes can do a trick on you, I saw: Excerpts, JK Rowling, A History, and I thought:”OOOOOh, she has excerpts from Hogwarts, A History” – How exciting! But nevertheless, I’m happy for Melissa! Really good news!

says:

Melissa,
First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS! I can’t wait to read your book!
I do have to ponder, though. It seems such a shame that folk like Mr. VdA don’t know the difference between working WITH your hero (or heroine) and working AGAINST her. Since you do know the difference, you get a lovely intro to your no-doubt wonderful and ORIGINAL book. He gets a well-deserved lawsuit which I am still hoping and praying he loses. I’m sure we will soon be treated to some snarky remarks from him as soon as he can glom on to some half-witted reporter.

says:

Oh, I’m so excited for Melissa!! I can not wait to read this book! I love that my favorite fan site is also loved by Jo herself!

says:

Is it bad that I’m kind of more excited about this book than Beedle the Bard? (eep).
Melissa, if you’re reading this, I admire you so much for writing this book, and though I may not personally know you, the few times we’ve met and just listening to you on PC makes me feel as if I do, and thus seeing some of your biggest goals come to fruition like this makes me so proud of you, I hope that’s okay for me to say! To have Jo Rowling write a forward in YOUR book—that is one wicked accomplishment that you can treasure forever. Congratulations, can’t wait for this book. You rock my socks off!!

says:

Oh, I’m so excited for Melissa!! I can not wait to read this book! I love that my favorite fan site is also loved by Jo herself!

says:

I still think it’s sad that the admins of sites like this piggyback so desperately on the success of J.K. Rowling and have tried to become miniature celebrities themselves.

To me, the only exciting things about this book are that Rowling has written the foreword and has an interview. I might read parts of it to glean that information alone, but I’ll probably just check it out of a library. Sorry, but Melissa hasn’t earned my money. Takes more than merely writing about a fandom to do that. :P

says:

I’m so freaking excited, Melissa! Can’t wait to read it!

says:

again, Melissa, warmest congratulations, and I too look forward to the arrival of my copy!

now, if only you could have gotten a second forward from Albus Dumbledore…..

says:

Pre-ordered mine! SO excited

:)

says:

I am really excited for your book Melissa! It will be great to get a sense of what it was like to be so involved in the fandom over the years and everything that you did.

And to C. Cox, it is unfortunate that you think that Melissa, along with many other people in the fandom, are attempting to piggyback. Many of them have done wonderful things that were both selfless and extraordinary. Take for example all of the charity events that The Leaky Cauldron has done over the years. However, I do see some logic in your comment because there are many, many people out there who have tried to scam and cheat their way to money through J.K. Rowling’s work. I just don’t think that Melissa, or anyone involved at The Leaky Cauldron, are capable of doing such things.

says:

Congratulations Melissa! Your book dream is now a reality…with the Harry Potter Fandom, you’ll be as famous as Jo. Are you ready for the responsibility?! :)

I’m looking forward to hear your view point from start to finish on this roller coaster ride of Harry Potter.

says:

I cannot wit! Congrats melissa! Im sure you have done a great job and i am so ecited for the release!

yay!

says:

Good luck with the book, Melissa!

says:

congrats, melissa. ‘nuff said.

But oh! Hedwig’s other fate. That would have been cute. The way it was eventually written is also perfect. Both ways, it’s better than Nagini eating her.

says:

Well quigger, the simple fact is that we wouldn’t know who any of these people were if it wasn’t for JKR. It’s because of her talent that these other people are clamoring to be a part of the spotlight. And they’ve done it without a single original thought. Everything here is based on JKR’s ideas, which, granted, are themselves based on old mythology and legends and such. But still. :P

And the charity giving is nice, but that’s completely not the point I’m making. ;)

says:

C.Cox, I think YOU are the one missing the point here (even though you MAY be right about some things ;p). Tearing someone down in their moment of triumph? Low-blow dude(-ette), low-blow.

says:

Bravo, Melissa. I’m looking forward to a new Harry Potter date!

says:

JKR said up there that she didn’t even know all that much about fandom until she read Melissa’s book. So how did JKR have the original thoughts for Melissa’s book without knowing about them until after she read Melissa’s book?

Also without original thoughts in your opinion: Margaret Mead, Charles Darwin, and every other person on the planet. Maybe you should go read E. Nesbitt and Terry Pratchett and see how original JKR is.

says:

Don’t feed the troll.

Looking forward to this book. =D

says:

Yes, writing a history of a phenomenon is derivative, only if you weren’t part of the phenomenon in the first place, but are writing it second or third hand, and decades later.

NOTHING of what Melissa’s written is based on JKR’s ideas: Melissa’s book is based on history. Melissa’s a bona fide reporter, recording a moment in history. It’s not only related to JKR, but also to WB, and to various publishing companies across the world, and to internetdom, and to idnviduals, like us, who’ve lived in these times and participated in the madness with movie tickets, book purchases, and midnight parties.

As James Baldwin said, “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” Fortunately, this has been a comfy trap, with lovely people to share it with!

says:

Squee! Yay Jo and Melissa! The book is going to be awesome!

says:

ohmygoodness!!!!!! melissa, can we have a little countdown panel for you book????! so happy!!!!!! lets just keep our fingers crossed that melissa doesnt decide she can get more readers in july of next year :P vive xe

says:

I just want to say, thank you so much Melissa for putting together our experiences into book form. I can not wait to read it when it comes out, but really, I am just delighted that I will be able to share it with my girls when they are older. They will probably never in their lifetime have an experience with a book quite like we all did with Harry – and although I think I would never be able to put it into words and explain it for them, I’m so glad you’ve taken the time to do it for me! Congrats on your well deserved success!

I can’t wait for this book, it looks really exciting and it is good to hear that something is authorized now a days with WB suing everyone in sight it seems. I hope to see the book on my bookshelf soon!

says:

I can’t wait for this book! It sounds great!

says:

Yep, just the responses I was expecting. At least I didn’t start insulting any of the other posters, so thank you for your maturity.

Oh and I’m also not a troll in any sense of the word. I’m just a frequent lurker of this site that decided to speak up for once, but I guess it’s just not acceptable to have a differing opinion here. Must make a note of that for future reference. :)

I don’t need to defend myself further. The only point I was trying to make has already been made, so all you have to do is actually read my posts. And it’s pointless to disagree anymore because that’s clearly not allowed, so.

And finally, on a more serious note I would like to say thanks to the Leaky Cauldron for all the good they’ve done. Such as giving actual news about the actual Harry Potter books. That much I’ve really, really appreciated. This is a wonderful site, despite its occasional flaws. ^^

says:

I was definitely intending on buying the book when it came out but this has got me really excited about it! I’m very much looking forward to reading it as I always appreciate Melissa’s insight.

says:

The last pottercast had some teasers for the book too. Shippers should go listen and then speculate what the heck the D word is and what exactly would divide the fans!

says:

That is just do cool!!!

Melissa – all our love and congratulations! You rock, and this is amazing!

Can’t wait to re-experience the feel of a midnight release ;-)

says:

Can’t wait to get it, sounds awesome :)

says:

AWESOME..SIMPLU AWESOME, THE HP-FANDOM BEATS ALL!

says:

Congrats, Melissa! This is so cool, you must be thrilled! xxx

says:

oops,wrong spelling for “Simply”...I just too excited XD

says:

WOOOOOW.

..melissa must be SO happy right now :]

says:

Gongratulations Melissa!

I’m sure the book will be fantastic and I’m looking forward to it!

says:

Melissa,

Thanks again for allowing us to live vicariously through you. We all feel a little bit closer to Jo and the HP experience when hearing your vivid stories. You have had some amazing opportunities due to your hard work on this site, and it has been really fun to share some of it with you.

You and many others on this site have worked hard and you deserve the credit for all the dedication that has finally paid off.

says:

Looks great, Melissa – congratulations on the book. I’ve been running the only Harry Potter website in South Africa for the last 7 years, and interacting with the fan community here – really looking forward to seeing what it has been like to be part of the Harry Potter ‘experience’ elsewhere in the world.

says:

WOW! – Looking forward to it!

Well Done!!

Real congratulations are deserved!

says:

I cant wait to read this, nice work Ms Anelli

says:

Good job Melissa, thanks to you we are getting something in november.

says:

Well, my lovely husband was just asking me what I wanted for my birthday …. Melissa’s book along side with the Tales of Beedle the Bard. What more could someone ask for …... well maybe the Scottish book too but …...
Well done Melissa. Well done.

says:

I’m definetly going to read it.

says:

Congrats, Melissa! I haven’t bought any non-jkr books yet (some were tempting but i had no money) but i might just get this one because it’s not theory, but fact. If i do buy it, it will get the coveted spot next to the canons. You basically rule.

says:

Sweetness! I’ve been waiting for something like this! And right before my birthday too! Awesome timing Melissa!

says:

Sweetness! I’ve been waiting for something like this! And right before my birthday too! Awesome timing Melissa! I look forward to meeting Harry Potter.

says:

good job Mellisa and she certainly has got Jo’s praise which is amazing…can’t wait to read it

says:

This is a great excerpt and I can’t wait for the book.

says:

j

says:

WOWWWWW!!!! Can’t wait for the book!!!

says:

Wow, congratulations. I don’t if there are any other books that have a foreword from J.K. Rowling. I can’t wait to read it!

says:

awesome :)
great job!!!
can’t wait to read it..i have a feling we’ve got a best seller on our hands :DDD

says:

GOO MELISSA!

the book osunds absolutely amazing. i’m prepared to be spellbound by the book in november!